Trip: Forbidden Peak w/ridge - Forbidden Peak w/ridge
Date: 7/12/2008
Trip Report: Forbidden w/ridge was in great shape this week-end. Some of our pix are here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/shannonpahl/ForbiddenPeak We decided to use the great weather window this week-end on something that needs it. We got a permit on Friday night. Cascade river road was opened all the way the day before. On Saturday morning, there were about 17 cars at the Boston basin parking lot. The conditions of the climbers trail up to Boston basin remains the same as last year - a fun face slapping, gear grabbing stroll through obstacles. Low camp is snow free but high camp is snow covered. Only on the way back did we see a partial trail to high camp (the rest covered by snow) - in summer there appears to be a trail to high camp which cuts across from low camp more or less directly. On the way up, we instinctively tried that because, a. the waypoint pointed us that way and b. the congregation of a group of 12 at high camp. It was an up and down path to high camp that looked quite flat from afar but was not. Coming back down, we chose to go around it all - traversing along the snow then heading down the moraine to low camp (see the gps track in the pix). It was an easy way down to low camp.
There is a river crossing on the way up to low camp that can be troublesome at this time - lots of water. Going up we managed to get across it ok, but coming down, the water was too strong and we essentially went back up to low camp then simply cut across two mini ridges and the two smaller rivers, then headed down to join the trail. As you come down to low camp, from one of those poles at low camp, just traverse left across two small ridges and the two smaller rivers that join below to make for a dicey river crossing. (see the gps track in the pix - the low camp is the next blue marker after the TH marker. Select download photo on the right to see full sized images). Just as you come to the low camp, you will get a good view of Forbidden and the couloir. This is one of many good places to plan you ascent. We camped overnight at high camp and came across two parties coming down, one from Forbidden, the other from the Torment traverse.
We got started at sunrise. From high camp, keep on the snow by skirting right around the rock obstacles in the middle of the snow field, then traverse left to avoid the large open crack in the snow, then left around the large rock that guards the couloir. The couloir is still in good shape in the morning. There are two bergshrunds that cut across the couloir, the second being the only that requires a small step over a reasonable snow bridge. (ps, go there now before it opens up completely). The couloir narrows a lot near the base then opens up. It runs at about 50 degrees but is good in the morning for kick steps with crampons and a solid ice axe self belay. Pickets would have been of no use here, the snow was not hard enough to allow the pickets to hold a shock loaded fall. It got a little steeper near the top with softer snow but luckily it was only a very short section. It ends up in a moat on the left as you're going up. Here is a good place to save some time and pack your ice axe and put on rock shoes for the short gully leading to the notch / ridge. We initially tried it with boots but found it much easier after we switched to rock shoes. At the notch, we roped up for some simul climbing. After about one pitch up, look back down to see the great bivy spots at the notch. (photographers - best time for pix from along the ridge looking down is early morning, so possibly plan to use the bivy at the notch) One way to get there is just before the notch, go left then over the crest. The climbing was great with amazing views. The wind was cold but we climbed with our puffy jackets (the only party also on the climb turned back mid way up the rock climb because they were too cold and did not have warmer clothing, outch, after all that effort getting to the actual climb). As mentioned in numerous reports, keep left of the crest and avoid the lichen and make climbing easy. We simul climbed the first few pitches below then pitched out the upper sections. The summit block is the most fun pitch with fun moves and good gear placements. (see pic of the block and a good report here:
http://sabegg.googlepages.com/forbidden) Coming down the rock was easier than expected, from the summit, there is a rap station leading to the base of the summit block - look to your left as you come down to see the next rap station. I think we took about 3 raps straight down to the last rap off a pink tech cord with no rap rings. As you go down this rap, look right to find the sandy ledge you'll want to head for once you're off rappel - its a short right traverse and then up about 10 feet to reach this ledge. From there, just keep traversing to reach the ridge crest in no time while simul climbing and then you're just about at the notch. Then, you can either rap down the couloir, or as we read before, you can climb/rap down a gully next to the couloir. We chose to rap down the gully to observe the alternative to climbing the couloir. There is a rap station just below the notch - as you down climb a little from the notch, the rap is to your left. The rap appears to go down the couloir but you can also head a little right (looking down) over the snow finger and onto some rocks below. From there, just walk around the rocks and notice the rap station on the right wall of the gully. It requires a little down climbing in the gully to get there. That's when we noticed the conditions of the gully, loose rock of all sizes - even large ones that appear good can be bad. From this rap, just keep going straight down. Single rope (60m) raps will get you down onto the steep snow. I'd prefer climbing up the couloir than the gully because of the loose stuff in there but later in the season you may have no option. The rap down the gully puts you a little lower that the last rap down the couloir and hence less down climbing steep snow. From the base of the gully there was only a short section that required 'front pointing' / kick steps and then start plunge stepping not too much further down. Rapping on Forbidden is not easy - it seems to have hungry sharks teeth all over just waiting to catch and cut your rope as it did to ours, and forcing me to climb up a few short sections to free the rope.
You need to be efficient on this climb to make it back to the car on the summit day, or plan on camping a night at high camp on the way down.
The climb is superb, one that requires a wide range of mountaineering skills and improvisation beyond just climbing crag walls. It certainly is a classic.
NAD 27 UTM (obtained from a book)
642018 5371237 TH
643099 5372904 low camp
643173 5373628 high camp
643311 5374636 couloir
643346 5374773 west ridge
643487 5374798 summit
Gear used:
ice axe
crampons
light alpine rack to 2 inches
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